5 Game of Thrones Characters Who Would Side With Team Green (and 5 With Team Black)

House of the Dragon turns one succession dispute into a full-blown civil war. It basically asks a fundamental questions: who deserves the Iron Throne more, the king’s chosen heir or the realm’s preferred one. The ensuing conflict set the Seven Kingdoms ablaze, caused millions of lives, and brought about the end of the dragons (until Daenerys Targaryen’s dragon eggs hatched in Game of Thrones).

As House of the Dragon season 3 nears release, it has got us wondering how some of the biggest name in HotD‘s parent series, Game of Thrones, would handle the Dance of the Dragons (as the war between the Greens and the Blacks is called). Would Tywin Lannister prefer tradition or loyalty? Would Daenerys see herself in Rhaenyra? Would Littlefinger even care so long as he profits off the conflict? Here are 5 Game of Thrones characters we think would back the Greens and 5 who would side with the Blacks.

But before that, here’s HotD in a nutshell:

Title	Creators	Premise	IMDb Rating (as of June 16, 2026)	Rotten Tomatoes Score (as of June 16, 2026)
House of the Dragon	George R.R. Martin, Ryan Condal	After King Viserys I Targaryen names his daughter Rhaenyra as heir to the Iron Throne, rival claims to the succession divide House Targaryen and plunge Westeros into a devastating civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons.	8.3/10	90% | 77%

Team Green

1. Tywin Lannister

We know Tywin (Charles Dance) has always been a staunch traditionalist. He would see King Viserys I Targaryen’s (Paddy Considine) decision to declare his daughter heir to the Iron Throne a sacrilege. Aegon to him would represent precedent and stability that holds kingdoms together. Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) is basically Tywin 170 years ago. Tywin we know spent his life protecting institutions, often at the expense of people. Team Green wouldn’t earn his loyalty because it was right. His reason would be, it is predictable.

2. Stannis Baratheon

No character in Game of Thrones is more obsessed with propriety as Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane) is. He loathes Jaime Lannister, but book readers may remember a passage wherein he takes care to prefix Jaime’s name with “Ser” as he may be a kingslayer and widely reviled, in his words “the man is still a knight”. So, a female ruler would not be palatable to him. The tragedy of his existence is that he treats rules like religion and expects everyone else to do the same. 

Faced with the Dance, he would reach a conclusion no one would enjoy, least of all himself. Since male-preference inheritance carries the force of law, Team Green would have his sword.

3. Cersei Lannister

Fans may think that Cersei (Lena Headey) would be sympathetic towards Rhaenyra as she is also a woman who is powerless because of the deeply patriarchal society. But that would assume that Cersei cares about other women. She doesn’t, and we have seen that over and over across 8 seasons of Game of Thrones. Her whole politics centers around only her. She would admire Team Green because they do not wait until justice takes place but usurp control of the Iron Throne right away.

4. Petyr Baelish

Littlefinger (Aiden Gillen) wouldn’t choose Team Green because he believes Aegon II belongs on the Iron Throne. Petyr Baelish has never been particularly interested in causes; he’s interested in leverage. What would likely draw him to the Greens is Larys Strong, a man who plays the game using the same currency Baelish values above all else: secrets. 

Then again, he may take a dislike to Strong as he might see in him a rival. Even so, the intrigue surrounding Alicent’s faction would be impossible for Baelish to resist.

5. Randyll Tarly

We hardly saw Randyll in the show, but he is a significant figure in the books, especially in the War of the Five Kings. He is a member of a dying species of lords from Westeros who sees the world through tradition. In many ways, he is what an actual aristocrat from medieval Europe would look like. Medieval Europe, particularly Britain, is the chief inspiration for the setting and many storylines within A Song of Ice and Fire, the source material of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. The idea that any conventions around inheritance can be changed, even for someone of ability and skill, would sound like a recipe for disaster to Randyll. Discipline, hierarchy, and structure allow Randyll to make sense of the world. Being on Team Green fits perfectly with his philosophy of life.

Team Black

1. Daenerys Targaryen

Daenerys (Emilia Clarke), before she went all genocidal in the final season of Game of Thrones, was a kind and benevolent ruler once. She has also chafed against Westerosi patriarchal customs. She actually wouldn’t need a small council meeting to decide where she stands. She spent her life hearing different versions of the same argument used against Rhaenyra, that power naturally belongs to men and that women who seek it must constantly prove themselves worthy.

Through Daenerys’s eyes, Team Black would be more than a political faction. It would represent a struggle she had already lived through. She would recognize Rhaenyra’s fight immediately because, in many ways, it was her own.

2. Jon Snow

Jon Snow (Kit Harington) has never been particularly interested in crowns — cue the “I don’t want it” refrain that viewers were thoroughly sick of by Game of Thrones season 8. That very reluctance is precisely what would make him attentive to Rhaenyra’s claim. He knows all too well what it means to break one’s word. The lords of Westeros swore to uphold Rhaenyra’s succession when King Viserys I named her his heir. To Jon, breaking that promise would be a stain on their honor. Like his uncle Ned Stark, rather than his father, Jon is stubbornly honest and believes that words should mean something.

3. Arya Stark

Arya (Maisie Williams) would hear Team Green’s argument and wonder why anyone is still talking. The notion that Princess Rhaenyra must forfeit her rights just because she is a female would be laughable to Arya. For one, she is someone who has defied every stereotype associated with women. She could not care less for customs that exist solely to keep people in their place. Team Black would get her support before the debate even finished.

4. Brienne of Tarth

Brienne’s (Gwendoline Christie) loyalty is deliberate. Once she gives her word, it becomes part of her identity. She will give her life to uphold her oaths and convictions. Case in point: in one scene, she takes on seven men alone to protect a group of children, because she cannot stand aside while evil men slaughter innocents. She is the truest knight of her era. Quoting from the books:

Seven, Brienne thought again, despairing. She had no chance against seven, she knew. No chance, and no choice. She stepped out into the rain, Oathkeeper in hand.

This is why the Dance becomes easy for her in many ways. Viserys made Rhaenyra his heir. The realm accepted her, and oaths were sworn. No further discussion is needed.

5. Tyrion Lannister

Tyrion Lannister’s (Peter Dinklage) father, Tywin, loathes him (or did, when he was alive) but he fails to understand one simple truth: however despicable Tyrion may seem to him, Tyrion is very much his father’s son. He is canny, cunning, and an out-and-out strategist. But unlike Tywin, Tyrion is also sensitive and kind. He would instantly recognize that replacing a named heir after a king’s death is something any ambitious Westerosi noble could exploit. He would not see Rhaenyra as perfect, and that would not be his reason for joining Team Black.

He would probably find plenty to criticize in both her and Daemon, her uncle and lover. No, he would join the Blacks because succession crises have a habit of spiraling out of control and the Dance of the Dragons would indeed wreak havoc across the realm. Kingdoms have been turned into graveyards for far lesser causes.

Character	Team	Reason
Tywin Lannister	Team Green	Values tradition, precedent, and stability above all else.
Stannis Baratheon	Team Green	Would uphold Westeros’ male-preference succession customs.
Cersei Lannister	Team Green	Respects those who seize power rather than wait for it.
Petyr Baelish	Team Green	The Green court offers the most opportunities for intrigue and manipulation.
Randyll Tarly	Team Green	A traditionalist who believes in hierarchy and established order.
Daenerys Targaryen	Team Black	Sees her own struggle as a female ruler reflected in Rhaenyra.
Jon Snow	Team Black	Believes the oaths sworn to Rhaenyra should be honored.
Arya Stark	Team Black	Rejects the idea that gender should determine succession.
Brienne of Tarth	Team Black	Treats sworn promises as sacred and non-negotiable.
Tyrion Lannister	Team Black	Understands the chaos caused by overturning a named heir.

Which Game of Thrones character do you think we got wrong? Let us know which side your favorite Westerosi characters would choose in the comments.

House of the Dragon season 3 will premiere on June 21, 2026 on HBO and HBO Max.